বাংলাদেশের স্বাধীনতা যুদ্ধ দলিলপত্রঃ চতুর্দশ খন্ড We asked him if it was true that he had been advised to set up a "puppet civilian government" consisting of a number of highly unpopular figures in both wings. He said this was a rumour and that, as a soldier he considered rumour mongering as "a crime". "I don't listen to rumours", he emphasised. "I am a soldier and always speak my mind openly. I don't use tactics like that". Civilian Government We asked if he would consider forming a government with the help of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto's People's Party. He said that Bhutto had a majority only in the west wing, but a civilian government should consist of representatives of "the two parts of the country". In any case, since a civilian government would be formed "in a matter of months' all the parties could wait a bit longer," he said, "I must have a full national assembly representing the nation as a whole" Yahya Khan said. "I will be prepared to accept a civilian government formed by such an assembly, but would not hand over power to anyone individual or party before that is done". Meanwhile, the President has given the green light for Pakistan's five-year Development Plan to continue. "I cannot throw the economy to the dogs, pending the formation of a civil governments" he said. "The national economy cannot come to a standstill just because we have had political difficulties". Once a civilian government is formed, however, the plan could be altered in accordance with the new government's wishes and policies, he assured us. We asked the President what would happen if AL members won all the byelections in East Pakistan, if they formed a majority once again, and if they tried to put into effect the same policies that, according to the army, would have led to a division of Pakistan. He replied that the Awami League had won the previous election through the use of "intimidation, terror and malpractices". We asked why he did not stop the general election as soon as it became clear that Sheikh Mujib's party was breaking the game. Election malpractices occurred in every country, including the most advanced-the President said. In any case, he said he did not have accurate information about Awami League activities at that time. "It is now that we realize what Mujib was doing to win every seat," he said. "Most of his men were returned unopposed because people were afraid of challenging the Awami League. He won mainly due to the Hindu minorities vote in East Pakistan; no more than 20 per cent of the Muslim electorate backed his t? 1ÌÌ€Ì} `. High Treason He said "Mujib would be tried for high treason very soon-that is, as soon as the case against him is complete". We asked whether the Awami League leader would be tried and possibly executed before the new national assembly convened. The President said the matter was in the
